A Taste of Fairbanks: One-on-One with Chef Tim Frank

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In the 36 years of Chef Tim Frank’s cooking career, he has seen food trends come and go from behind the line of a number of high-end restaurants around the United States. Coming to Alaska presented a new and exciting challenge for Chef Frank who, for the last four years, has served as the award-winning chef of the Fairbanks Westmark Hotel restaurant: Red Lantern Steak & Spirits.

Chef Frank made it up to the Last Frontier much like many before him – he came seeking adventure. And so far his expectations have not only been met but exceeded.

“Alaska has been wonderful to me,” said Chef Frank.

But, truth be told, we feel that it is Chef Frank who has been wonderful to us, with his flavorful cooking and inspired creations.

“I would categorize the food at the Red Lantern as upscale American comfort food,” Chef Frank said. “It is a combination of classic items and other dishes, inspired by the feedback received from customers about various specials featured throughout the year.”

His menu is also constructed with a conscious effort made to serve as much Alaska-grown food as possible.

WARNING: just reading the descriptions of the following menu items may cause extreme mouth-watering and a grumbling stomach.

Seafood Dish at the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Conference Center

Whether you’re more of a seafood connoisseur or a meat lover, you can’t go wrong with Chef Frank’s Arctic char, grilled with a molasses butter glaze, or the reindeer ragout, a hearty sauce full of vegetables and simmered with Italian and reindeer sausage and pancetta. The all-American meatloaf is served up with aromatic root vegetables like beats, turnips, rutabaga and parsnip, tossed in olive oil and roasted to perfection. Alaska root vegetables, when they’re in season, are so sweet they taste like they’ve been injected with brown sugar. And Chef Frank even admits that sometimes accidents make for even better tasting dishes, like a hummus that got too much garlic in the mix by mistake but ended up even more delicious than the original version.

Alaska-grown ingredients, such as rhubarb and berries, can be found in the signature rhubarb lemonade and such desserts as the berry crumble that is served with locally made ice cream created using locally harvested berries. And a little known fact about dessert in Alaska – Alaskans love crème brûlée as much as the rest of the world! Chef Frank’s twist on the popular custard features a Greek flan made with Greek yogurt and orange flavors.

And now that we have sufficiently contributed to your sense of imminent hunger, we have some good news! You, too, can enjoy Chef Frank’s delectable cuisine at the Red Lantern, and take the elevator home by booking your next stay at the Westmark Fairbanks.